title: [Quantitative dobutamine stress echocardiography in follow-up of heart transplantation: normal values and findings in patients with transplant vasculopathy].
abstract: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) remains a major problem after heart transplantation. This prospective study was performed to analyze the value of quantitative dobutamine stress echocardiography for the diagnosis of CAV compared with coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). In 80 patients late (> or = 12 months) after cardiac transplantation, a total of 144 studies were evaluated. In addition to the usually performed regional wall motion analysis of 2D-echocardiograms, systolic thickening of septum and left ventricular posterior wall was quantified by M-mode echocardiography. In patients with CAV by invasive angiography and/or IVUS, systolic thickening of the septum and posterior wall was significantly lower at rest and at maximum dobutamine infusion than in patients without CAV. From a subgroup of 23 studies in transplant recipients without TVP or other cardiac complications, normal values for the M-mode parameters were calculated. The lower limits were: systolic thickening of septum at rest, > 17.2%, at maximum stress, > 45.9%; systolic thickening of left ventricular posterior wall at rest, > 41.6%, at maximum stress, > 67.6%. Regional wall motion analysis of 2D-echocardiograms had a sensitivity of 76% (specificity 82%) for diagnosis of CAV defined by invasive methods, evaluation of wall thickening by M-mode alone had a sensitivity of 63% (specificity 76%). The combined 2D- and M-mode-echocardiographic analysis yielded a sensitivity of 85% (specificity 71%). In summary, dobutamine stress echocardiography is a useful method for the noninvasive diagnosis of CAV. The quantitative M-mode analysis improves the sensitivity of the 2D-analysis. The calculated normal values for the M-mode parameters in heart transplant recipients may serve as reference for other studies.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum Innenstadt der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Spes
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Klauss
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mudra
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Schnaack
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Tammen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weisenseel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rieber
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Henneke
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Uberfuhr
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reichart
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Theisen
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Angermann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004280:Dobutamine; D004452:Echocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional
chemical_list: D004280:Dobutamine
vernacular_title: Quantitative Dobutamin-Stressechokardiographie in der Spätphase nach Herztransplantation: Normwerte und Befunde bei Patienten mit Transplantatvaskulopathie.